Localization systems and methods

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for providing “localization” of moving objects (e.g., people, vehicles, equipment) by using beacons installed on municipal fixtures, such as light and utility poles. The beacons transmit, in the ordinary course of network communication, an identifier. Because the poles don&#39;t move, the fixed geographic locations of the poles can be associated in a database with a unique identifier broadcast by the beacon installed on the pole. When a moving device having a wireless transceiver approaches the pole, it will receive transmissions from the beacon including the identifier, and can then look up the identifier in the database to get the geographic coordinates. This can be done even without the moving device&#39;s wireless transceiver authenticating or connected to the beacons&#39; network. This location can then be used for a wide variety of applications and purposes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/694,529, filed Nov. 25, 2019, which claims the benefit of U.S. Prov.Pat. App. No. 62/792,213, filed Jan. 14, 2019, and which claims thebenefit of U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No. 62/806,300, filed Feb. 15, 2019, andwhich is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/409,213, filed May 10, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/384,898, filed Apr. 15, 2019, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/656,675, filed Jul.21, 2017, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,260,719 on Apr. 16, 2019, whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No. 62/368,574, filed Jul.29, 2016. Said U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/694,529 is also acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/448,941,filed Jun. 21, 2019, which claims the benefit of U.S. Prov. App. No.62/688,194, filed Jun. 21, 2018, and U.S. Prov. Pat. App. No.62/792,213, filed Jan. 14, 2019. U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/694,529 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 29/680,947, filed Feb. 21, 2019. The entire disclosures of allof these cases is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This disclosure is related to the field of geolocation, and moreparticularly, to the use of luminaire control devices to providelocalization services.

Description of the Related Art

The “smart” movement is an attempt to utilize interconnected devices asa way to generate data and supply improved and more targeted services.The basic concept is that when “things” can communicate with each otherand with users, a wealth of data can be made available, often in realtime, which can then be accumulated and analyzed without the need forusers to manually gather, store, and organize this information.

One area where this concept is now being implemented is in the “smartcity” movement, in which municipalities leverage various types ofautomated data collection to provide information that can be used tomanage municipal assets and resources in an efficient and effectivemanner. These efforts rely on a variety of data sources, ranging fromdata collected automatically by devices in various locations throughoutthe city, to devices carried by citizens or employees. Data may also becollected by or from vehicles, or provided directly by citizens. “Smartcity” strategies can help improve the delivery and efficiency of cityservices, such as law enforcement, trash collection, public safety,traffic management, and even achieve reductions in pollution and crime.

Commonly, “Internet of Things,” or IoT, devices are leveraged in a smartcity to obtain real-time data about municipal operations. The idea isthat a more accurate and up-to-date data snapshot of the city can beused to improve the quality of municipal services and optimize costs andresource utilization. These solutions are particularly attractive indensely populated areas, where the cost overhead of deploying IoTdevices and collecting and monitoring data provides high informationdensity relative to cost.

However, there are a number of challenges with smart city initiatives(or in smart systems more generally). One such challenge is determiningwhere and how to deploy devices, as well as managing and consolidatingthe vast quantity of data produced for effective analysis and use. Forexample, all of the devices are electrically powered, which requires asource of electricity. This in turn means that devices are generallyinstalled on municipal fixtures with an existing source of power, suchas a light pole.

An example of one such prior art fixture is depicted in FIG. 1. Thedepicted municipal fixture (103) is in the nature of a municipal light.The depicted fixture (103) comprises a base (104) affixed to a sidewalk(106) adjacent to a street (108), with an elongated pole (105) extendingvertically from the base (104). The pole (105) provides sufficientelevation to disperse illumination, allow clearance for passingpedestrians and vehicles, and inhibit tampering. Extending laterallyfrom the pole (105) is a light arm (107). A light head (109) is attachedto the light arm (107). The light head (109) contains a source ofillumination (110). A power conduit runs through the pole (105) and thelight arm (107) to the source of illumination (110), and an electricpower line (111) is run through that conduit from a municipal powersource (not depicted) to power the source of illumination (110).Typically, the source of illumination is a municipal luminaire (110).

However, municipal lights have various power supply configurations,sometimes even within the same cluster of lights. This in turn requiresa multitude of different, expensive power adapters to be deployed. Ifthe lights are later rewired or the power characteristics change, all ofthe power supplies must be replaced. Further, each individual device onor within the fixture (103) may have different power requirements, whichin turn can require a single fixture (103) to be equipped with multiplepower conversion units for each device.

Another problem is that even once the devices are installed and powered,to get real-time data, the devices must communicate live data as it iscollected. This in turn requires network access, which is difficult andexpensive to deploy and manage. Most cities are very old, and it isuneconomical to run power and network wires to every device deployed inthe city. Further, the quantity of data produced by any one device istypically modest, and providing a wired data solution is expensive andwasteful.

Using wireless solutions is also problematic. Although the quantity ofdata is often manageable through a standard short-range wirelesstransmission protocol, this is not always the case. Short-range wirelesstransmission devices have a limited transmission radius, generallymeasured in hundreds of feet, and up to two thousand feet at the highend. A balance must be struck between broadcast distance and bandwidth,wherein long-range transmissions have very low bitrates, andhigh-bitrate transmissions have very short range. This can introducenetwork slowdowns and dropped packets in standard wireless protocols,particularly if a particular device receives a temporary burst ofactivity, such as from an unexpectedly large amount of data generated ata particular device or a flood of data from other nearby devices.

In any case, even a transmission radius of two thousand feet is toosmall to allow all devices in a city to communicate directly with acentral server so that data can be gathered, collected, analyzed, andused in real time. Each IoT device can be equipped with a broadbandwireless transmitter, such as a cellular data transmitter, but thisimposes significant costs and is wasteful by providing more bandwidththat is reasonably expected to be produced by any one individual deviceduring ordinary use.

Another problem subsists in how to attach the devices and the requiredaccompanying hardware to the fixture (103), and to communicate with newdevices. For example, a typical municipal lighting pole (105) lackssufficient suitable surfaces for attaching IoT devices, powerconverters, and wireless transmitters. Moreover, some of this equipmentshould be stored within an enclosure to minimize damage from weather andtampering. In particular, power converters must tap into the centralpower line (111) of the pole (105), meaning they must have access to theinternal structure of the fixture (103), but a fixture (103) typicallyhas insufficient interior volume to install the power supply. Further,each device has its own command system and communication protocol,requiring a separate communication gateway for each device.

This presents additional challenges as cities upgrade older lights tonewer, more energy-efficient technologies, such as LED-based lightsources. Moreover, in the continued effort of reducing power utilizationrelated to street lights, attempts have been made to reduce power usageduring off-peak times, or whenever full power is not necessary. However,such solutions have been incomplete.

Control over the luminaire (110) in a standard street light can beimplemented via a dimming receptacle (115) atop the light head (109).The receptacles (115) are mechanical and electrical/physical interfacesto the luminaire (110) for control devices. For example, the ANSIC136.41 standards define multiple interface configurations facilitatingvarious degrees of control over the luminaire (110). These include 3-,5-, and 7-pin interface configurations.

In the simplest interface, a 3-pin configuration, the three pins providepower lines only. In the 5-pin configuration, three pins provide powerand the remaining two pins provide a dimming circuit, referred to in theart as “DIM”. In the 7-pin configuration, three pins provide power, twopins provide a first dimming circuit (known in the art as “DIM1”), andthe final two pins provide a second dimming circuit (known in the art as“DIM2”). One problem with the ANSI C136.41 standards, particularly in7-pin configurations, is that the dimming circuit lines are sometimesaccidentally swapped. Additionally, prior art implementations have usedpulse-width modulation dimming, which produces flicker when using thedimming circuits. This has led to generally unsatisfactoryimplementations of the standard.

Another problem with the standard is that the physical dimensions limitthe available form factor designs, which must be compact. This in turnlimits how many components may be placed in a standard-compliant controldevice. This presents challenges in powering the components storedwithin the control device, because electronic components use low-voltagedirect current (DC), but the three power pins pass through the currenton the municipal line, meaning they carry alternating current (AC) atvariable distribution voltages ranging from 110-480 volts AC. Thus, thecomponents must be powered by an electrochemical cell, which produces DCpower, a point-of-consumption energy sources such as a photovoltaicdevice or small wind turbine, or the AC power received via the municipalline must be converted to DC, and stepped down to a usable voltage.

Batteries and point-of-consumption solutions introduce additionaldifficulties. Batteries eventually expire and must be replaced, whichrequires servicing. Additionally, by the nature of its location, thecontrol device is exposed to hostile environmental conditions, which canreduce battery life. Likewise, renewable solutions cannot reliablyprovide power in most deployment locations, requiring battery backups.Furthermore, such solutions add additional maintenance overhead.Accordingly, these solutions are expensive and duplicative, compared tothe minimal power requirements of the internal components.

Likewise, using municipal power is difficult. For most of the lastcentury, power has been supplied to cities using high voltage AC powerlines, generally in the range of 138-765 kVAC, and then stepped down forindustrial, commercial, and residential use, and converted to DC asnecessary. This variability in voltage is provided across municipalpower grids, and even within a power grid or street, is a result ofvarious factors, such as consumer need and zoning. In any given area,distribution voltages can range between 110-480 VAC, with variances of+/−10%, resulting in a range of 90-528 VAC.

The practical consequence of these variances is that a multitude ofcontrol devices must be manufactured and stocked, one for each potentialvoltage. This imposes significant costs, such as stocking inventory, andtracking the voltage on any particular pole. For example, if a unitrequires service or replacement, it can only be replaced by a unitadapted to convert the correct input voltage. If the service personnelare unsure of the voltage of a given pole, or accidentally use the wrongtype of control device, the device may be damaged or simply not functionat all.

The end result is that prior art solutions have been simplistic, andsimply use a photocell to detect light and, if there is sufficientambient illumination, cut power to the luminaire using the power supplypins in the standard. The dimming control circuits defined in thestandard are not used because there is no way to power the componentsneeded to use the dimming circuit lines via the receptacle interface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following is a summary of the invention in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is notintended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or todelineate the scope of the invention. The sole purpose of this sectionis to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as aprelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

Described herein, among other things, is a method for determining ageographic location of a movable device comprising: providing aplurality of municipal infrastructure fixtures, each municipalinfrastructure fixture in said plurality of municipal infrastructurefixtures installed at a fixed geographic location having associatedgeographic coordinates; installing, on each municipal infrastructurefixture in said plurality of municipal infrastructure fixtures, awireless transceiver having an associated unique identifier, saidwireless transceiver configured for wireless data exchange according toa protocol; for each municipal infrastructure fixture in said pluralityof municipal infrastructure fixtures, associating, in a database, saidunique identifier of said wireless transceiver installed on said eachmunicipal infrastructure fixture with said geographic coordinates ofsaid each municipal infrastructure fixture; for each municipalinfrastructure fixture in said plurality of municipal infrastructurefixtures, said wireless transceiver installed on said each municipalinfrastructure fixture wirelessly broadcasting, in accordance with saidprotocol, a plurality of transmissions including said unique identifierof said installed wireless transceiver; receiving, at a second wirelesstransceiver in said movable device, from a first installed wirelesstransceiver installed on a first municipal infrastructure pole of saidplurality of municipal infrastructure poles, at least one transmissionin said plurality of transmissions including said unique identifier ofsaid first installed wireless transceiver; receiving, from saiddatabase, said geographic coordinates of said first municipalinfrastructure fixture, said received geographic coordinates determinedby searching said database for said unique identifier contained in saidreceived at least one transmission; and at said movable device,determining a geographic location of said movable device using saidreceived geographic coordinates.

In an embodiment of the method, said movable device is one of thefollowing: a smart phone, a tablet computer, a portable computer, awearable computer, or a vehicle.

In an embodiment of the method, at least some of said plurality ofmunicipal infrastructure fixtures are street lights having a light headcontaining a luminaire.

In an embodiment of the method, at least some of said light headscomprise a dimming receptacle and, for said at least some of said lightheads, said installing comprises installing said wireless transceiver ina luminaire control device connected to said at least some light headsvia said dimming receptacle.

In an embodiment of the method, an enclosure is disposed between saidlight arm and said light head and said installing comprises installingsaid wireless transceiver in said enclosure.

In an embodiment of the method, the method further comprises: selectinga message to communicate to an end user of said movable device based atleast in part on said determined geographic location of said movabledevice; and displaying to said end user, on a display of said movabledevice, said selected message.

In an embodiment of the method, said selected message comprises anemergency notification concerning an emergent condition occurringcontemporaneously with said displaying, said emergent conditionaffecting a geographic region proximate to said determined geographiclocation of said movable device.

In an embodiment of the method, said selected message comprises amarketing notification.

In an embodiment of the method, said marketing notification is about acommercial enterprise physically proximate to said determined geographiclocation of said movable device.

In an embodiment of the method, said marketing notification is about anevent occurring contemporaneously with said displaying, said eventtaking place physically proximate to said determined geographic locationof said movable device.

In an embodiment of the method, said marketing notification includes anincentive to make a purchase.

In an embodiment of the method, the method further comprises: receiving,at said second wireless transceiver, from a second installed wirelesstransceiver installed on a second municipal infrastructure fixture insaid plurality of municipal infrastructure fixtures, at least onetransmission in said plurality of transmissions including said uniqueidentifier of said second installed wireless transceiver; receiving,from said database, said geographic coordinates of said second municipalinfrastructure fixture, said received geographic coordinates determinedby searching said database for said unique identifier contained in saidreceived at least one transmission from said second installed wirelesstransceiver; and said movable device determining its geographic locationusing said received geographic coordinates for said second municipalinfrastructure fixture.

In an embodiment of the method, said database is stored on anon-transitory computer-readable memory of said movable device.

In an embodiment of the method, said database is stored on anon-transitory computer-readable memory of a remote server computer andsaid geographic coordinates are received from said database over atelecommunications network by said second wireless transceivertransmitting to said remote server said received unique identifier andsaid remote server searching said database for said unique identifier.

In an embodiment of the method, said installed wireless transceiverscomprise short-range beacons.

In an embodiment of the method, said movable device determining itsgeographic location using said received geographic coordinates is basedat least in part on said receiving, at said second wireless transceiver,from said first installed wireless transceiver, said at least onetransmission including said unique identifier of said first installedwireless transceiver indicating that, at the time of said receiving,said movable device is physically proximate to said first installedwireless transceiver.

In an embodiment of the method, said movable device further comprises aprocessing system and a non-transitory, computer-readable memory havingprogram instructions stored thereon which, when executed by saidprocessing system, cause said movable device to run software using saiddetermined geographic location of said movable device.

In an embodiment of the method, said software comprises an operatingsystem of said movable device.

In an embodiment of the method, said operating system makes saiddetermined geographic coordinates available to application softwarerunning on said operating system via an application programminginterface.

In an embodiment of the method, said software comprises one or more ofthe following: vehicular navigation, manual vehicular pilotingassistance, route planning, route tracking, autonomous vehicle pilotingassistance, traffic flow analysis, mapping, vehicle location, vehiclemovement tracking, geofencing, couponing, a rewards program, marketingmessaging, a game, a social network, or emergency notifications.

In an embodiment of the method, said movable device is a small vehiclein a shared fleet having a geographically defined operational range, andsaid determined location is used to inhibit operation of said movabledevice when said determined location is outside of defined operationalrange.

In an embodiment of the method, said plurality of municipalinfrastructure poles are designed for a purpose other than geographiclocation, and are retrofitted with said installed wireless transceiversfor geographic location.

In an embodiment of the method, said plurality of municipalinfrastructure fixtures comprises a subset of all municipalinfrastructure fixtures installed in a geographic region.

In an embodiment of the method, said geographic region is amunicipality.

In an embodiment of the method, said geographic region is a city block.

In an embodiment of the method, said geographic region is a roadway.

In an embodiment of the method, said geographic region is a block of astreet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a prior art municipal fixture.

FIG. 2 depicts an embodiment of a municipal fixture modified with smartgrid components as described herein.

FIG. 3 depicts an alternative embodiment of a municipal fixture modifiedwith smart grid components as described herein.

FIG. 4 depicts a system for aggregating signals in a mesh network asdescribed herein.

FIG. 5 provides an exploded diagram of an embodiment of a luminairecontrol device including a universal power supply as described herein.

FIG. 6 provides a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a dual-channelluminaire control device as described herein deployed to control amunicipal luminaire.

FIG. 7 provides an alternative schematic diagram of an embodiment of adual-channel luminaire control device as described herein deployed tocontrol two municipal luminaires.

FIG. 8 provides a schematic diagram of a universal power supply for aluminaire control device as described herein.

FIG. 9 provides an embodiment of line connections between amicrocontroller and a potentiometer to implement a dimming circuit.

FIG. 10 provides an embodiment of a bottom side of a luminaire controldevice as described herein.

FIG. 11 provides an embodiment of line connections between receptaclepins and a power supply and between a power supply and a control systemas described herein.

FIG. 12 provides another embodiment of line connection betweenreceptacle pins and a power supply and between a power supply and acontrol system as described herein.

FIG. 13 provides an embodiment of a system and method for determining ageographic location of a movable device as described herein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

The following detailed description and disclosure illustrates by way ofexample and not by way of limitation. This description will clearlyenable one skilled in the art to make and use the disclosed systems andmethods, and describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations,alternatives and uses of the disclosed systems and methods. As variouschanges could be made in the above constructions without departing fromthe scope of the disclosures, it is intended that all matter containedin the description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Throughout this disclosure, the term “municipal infrastructure fixture”refers to light, power, and telecommunications poles and appurtenancesthereto, which are installed and used by or on behalf of cities and/orutilities and carriers, to deliver utilities and services to the public.Such poles are generally installed in series along a roadway for relatedpurposes, such street lighting, power lines, and/or telecommunicationcables. As further set forth in this disclosure, the fixtures aregenerally close enough together that a collection of short-rangetransmitters installed on them can form a mesh network. Other terms mayalso be used herein which have definitions set forth in related casesincorporated in the Cross-Reference section and elsewhere herein,including but not necessarily limited to U.S. patent application Ser.No. 16/694,529, filed Nov. 25, 2019.

Described herein, among other things, is a luminaire control device(201) including a universal power supply (211) and control system foruse on a municipal infrastructure pole (103). FIG. 5 depicts a basicdiagram of a device (201) as described herein. At a high level ofgenerality, the luminaire control device (201) depicted in FIG. 5 can bethought of as having three main components: a housing (203) and (205), apower supply (211), and a control system (207). When the device (201) isfurther outfitted with a wireless communication system as part of anetwork of similar devices in a deployment, it may sometimes be referredto in shorthand as a “node” or “beacon.”

The depicted housing comprises a base (203) and an enclosure (205)adapted to plug into a dimming receptacle (115) and enclose a powersupply (211) and control system (207). The depicted control system (207)is adapted to control one or more luminaires (110), and the depictedpower supply (211) is adapted to receive municipal electrical power inany of the commonly provided voltage ranges and convert that power intoa uniform DC output suitable to power the components of the controlsystem (207). Both of these elements (211) and (207) are adapted andarranged so as to fit within the enclosure (205), which is in turnadapted to the form factor of the base (203), and are further describedelsewhere herein.

The form factor of the housing elements (203) and (205) may be definedor limited by the specifications of an applicable standard. For purposesof the exemplary embodiments described herein, that standard is ANSIC136.41. In an embodiment using the ANSI C136.41 standard, there may be3-pin (power only), 5-pin (3 power pins plus one 2-pin dimming circuit),and 7-pin configurations (3 power pins and two 2-pin dimming circuits).In an alternative embodiment, the base (203) or other elements maycomport with different standards or requirements as may be needed forthe particular embodiment.

The depicted base (203) is a generally circular element made from arugged, weather-resistant material to extend operational life andprovide a suitable surface for supporting other elements. Generally, thebase is sized and shaped to comport with the applicable standard forreceptacles or sockets on a municipal light. As described elsewhereherein, the depicted base (203) is sized and shaped for use with areceptacle in compliance with ANSI C136.41.

The depicted enclosure (205) is a roughly cylindrical dome sized andshaped to accommodate the interior components of the device (201)described herein. The enclosure (205) has an open bottom end adapted tomate with the base (203) so as to form a sealed connection. The sealedconnection should inhibit or prevent moisture penetration. Because thedevice (201) will ordinarily by used outdoors on a street light, it isdesirable to endure outdoor weather conditions in most climates. Theenclosure (205) should be manufactured from a rugged, water-resistant orwaterproof material which can withstand liquid and solid precipitation,high winds, impacts from debris, and so forth. The enclosure (205) maybe opaque, transparent, or translucent. A generally cylindricalenclosure (205) is shown but other sizes, shapes, and configurations ofenclosures (205) are possible, including but not limited to enclosures(205) which have an orthogonal or prism configuration.

The particular configuration will generally depend on the shape of thebase (203) to which the enclosure (205) attaches and the size and shapeof the internal components. In certain embodiments, the enclosure (205)may further comprise one or more openings or apertures to allow some orall of the internal components to be disposed external to the enclosure(205). By way of example and not limitation, if an internal component isa wireless communication apparatus which includes an antenna (227), itmay be desirable to dispose the antenna outside of the enclosure (205)for greater range. Thus, a water-resistant or watertight opening (229)in the enclosure (205) may be provided for this purpose.

In the depicted embodiment of FIG. 5, the base (203) has sevenconductive elements to establish an electrical connection via thereceptacle (115). These comprise three power transmission connections inthe form of prongs (209) disposed in a circular twist-lock arrangementextending generally perpendicularly from the bottom of the base (203),and four functional inputs in the form of spring contacts (213). Thedepicted prongs (209) are sized, shaped, and arranged for plugging intothe dimming receptacle (115) and provide a current path for electricalpower (i.e., AC current) from the municipal power line (111) in the pole(105) to be provided to the power supply (211) as described elsewhereherein.

The particular size, shape, and number of prongs (209) may vary fromembodiment to embodiment and will depend upon the particularconfiguration of the dimming receptacle (115) for which the device (201)is designed to interoperate. Generally, the prongs (209) comprise twohot lines and a neutral line and are electrically connected to the powersupply (211).

The four depicted spring contacts (213) are for central circuits, ordimming pins, and are disposed in the positions on the bottom of thebase (203) specified in the applicable standard. This allows thedepicted device (201) to be used in a standard receptacle (115) to, forexample, control light intensity, reduce power consumption, or performother functions as described elsewhere herein. The contacts (213) aregenerally electrically connected to components of the control system(207). The depicted four dimming inputs (213) comprise various dimmingcommand lines as defined by applicable standards. In an embodiment, theDigital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI) standard may be used.These inputs generally do not connect directly to the power supply(211), but rather pass through to the control system (207) and arecontrolled by components disposed thereon.

By way of example and not limitation, this relationship is shown inFIGS. 10, 11, and 12 with respect to the spring contacts (213). Also byway of example and not limitation, a standard may implement a 0-10 voltanalog interface to indicate desired light intensity. A 10-volt signalindicates maximum light intensity and 0 volt signal indicates “off” orno light intensity. In the depicted embodiment, the two pairs providetwo separate channels of control, referenced to as the “dual channel”aspect.

The depicted contacts (213) are arranged into pairs and each pairconnects via the receptacle (115) to a different dimming driver withinthe luminaire (110) structure. Thus, each pair can be separatelycommanded or operated to control the luminaire (110) by components,circuitry, and logic in the control system (207).

The power supply (211) is designed and laid out so as to fit within theform factor of the housing (203) and (205), and comprises all componentsrequired to adapt the range of power conversion described herein, andleave sufficient surplus volume within the house (203) and (205) toaccommodate a control system (207) and/or other components. FIG. 8provides a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a power supply (211)implementing power conversion from a range of 90-528 VAC to 12 VDC. Forexample, header P8 provides the connection to route various electricallines (e.g., to the control PCB/control system (207)). The currentsensing function is at pin 7, P1 (DIM1+) is at pin 3, P2 (DIM1−) is atpin 5, P3 (DIM2+) is at pin 4, P4 (DIM2−) is at pin 6, and a load switchto the relay is at pin 8 of header P8. A device (201) having a faunfactor compliant with the applicable standards requires smallcomponents, yet must also step down voltage as high as 528 VAC to 12 VDCto operate a small electrical load in excess of 1 W, as high as 4 W, andpreferably about 3 W to 3.3 W. In particular, the form factor defined bythe ANSI standard is generally too small to allow the inclusion of allelectronic components required to both convert all ranges of voltagecommonly found in a municipal light pole power line, as well as fit acontrol system (207) and other desired components. Prior art componentsof appropriate size to be fitted within the device (201) form factorlacked the ability to provide power conversion in this range by asignificant margin.

To achieve the required form factor, a transformer core may be customwound to achieve a desired isolation voltage range within the volume orsize limitations imposed by the standard. Additionally, oralternatively, a particular circuit layout may be used to minimize thephysical footprint of the power supply (211) so as to fit within theform factor. The depicted embodiment of FIG. 8 has a small enoughfootprint to be contained within the form factor of the ANSI standard,while also accommodating the control system (207).

The depicted device (201) of FIG. 5 can accept as power input any rangeof AC current between about 90 and 528 VAC and convert this power inputinto a consistent level of DC power output. The specific power outputmay vary from embodiment to embodiment depending upon the powerrequirements of the associated device to be powered. In the typicalembodiment, such as that in which the control system (207) is forcontrolling a luminaire (110), the power output is about 12 VDC. In afurther embodiment, the power output is at least 12 VDC. In a furtherembodiment, the power output is at least 12 VDC at 140 mA, or about 1.7W at 12 VDC. In a further embodiment, the average operational capacityis at least 12 VDC at 170 mA, or about 2.0 W at 12 VDC.

In certain embodiments, it may be desirable to have systems and/orapparatus for identifying differing power supply bases. By way ofexample and not limitation, it may be economical feasible to stock apower supply (211) for converting 90-277 VAC power, and a second powersupply (211) for converting up to 480 VAC power. However, it is alsodesirable that the corresponding control system (207) be agnostic as towhich power supply (211) it is packaged with, so that a single softwareversion may be maintained, reducing development and maintenance costs.This may be done by using four pins on the headers connecting the powersupply to the control system (207). One such pin would be a ground pin,and three would be signal pins. Depending on the pattern of the threepins connected to the ground line, it is possible to determine whichpower supply (211) is connected to the control system (207). The otherlines not connected to the ground would then be left as floating lines.It should be noted that the ground and signal lines come from thecontrol system (207) and the power supply (211) may only connect thepins together in a specific pattern. Pins D1, D2, and D3 are connectedto microcontroller pins. However, in the preferred embodiment, it isdesirable to use a uniform configuration of power supply (211) tominimize complexity and stocking requirements, and this element may notbe used.

It will be appreciated that the power supply (211) may provide a DCpower output at a particular level, but that this level may neverthelessremain too high for some uses. Thus, in some embodiments, a controlsystem (207) may have further “step-down” components disposed thereon tofurther reduce the power level. For example, the control system (207)components may require power in the range of 3 to 4 VDC at 45-290 mA, or0.15 to 0.95 W. In an embodiment, the control system (207) may comprisestep-down circuitry so as to provide power to associated components inthe range of 1.35 W to 4 W. In an embodiment, power is supplied at 3.3 Vat 0.410 mA on the control system (207).

The depicted control system (207) contains components and/or programlogic or software to operate the luminaire (110) via one or more controlchannels, (231) and (233). The depicted embodiment of FIG. 6 is aseven-pin dimming receptacle (115). In an embodiment using a five-pinreceptacle, the auxiliary control line (233) would not be present, and asingle channel of control line (231) would be used instead. As can beseen in the depicted embodiment of FIG. 6, both control channels (231)and (233) are operatively connected to the luminaire (110) through thedimming receptacle (115).

The control system (207) generally will comprise a circuit board andvarious components to perform one or more non-power conversionfunctions. The particular nature of these functions, and, by extension,the associated components, will vary from embodiment to embodimentdepending upon the particular needs of any given implementation.Generally, it is anticipated that the control system (207) will usuallycomprise a processing system (221), such as a computer, microprocessor,microcontroller, controller, or other logic unit, for operating thecomponents of the control system (207) and sending control signals onone or more of the control channels for operation of one or moreluminaire(s) (110).

Typically, the control system (207) will further comprise a memory (223)or storage (223) containing executable instructions for operating thedevice (201) or luminaire(s) (110). The control system (207) may furthercomprise other appropriate hardware systems and circuitry as necessaryto implement the functions described herein. The control system (207)components and program logic/instructions operate the luminaire(s) (110)using control channels (231) and (233) in accordance with the needs ofthe given embodiment. Other components may also be included in thecontrol system (207) or otherwise disposed within the interior of theassembled device (201) and powered by the power supply (211). Theseother components may include, but are not necessarily limited to, amicroprocessor, a controller, a photocell or other daylight sensingtechnology, and/or expansion ports for other sensors.

The components of the control system (207) receive power via a wiredconnection to the power output from the power supply (211). Theparticular arrangement of such a wired connection will vary fromembodiment to embodiment, but typically will be consistent such thatonly one, or a small number, of power supply (211) configurations needbe produced, and any number of different control system (207) or otherpowered interior components may be used with that one or small number ofpower supplies (211).

By way of example, and not limitation, one or more of the controlchannels (231) or (233) could be used to alter the color temperature ofthe luminaire (110). Alternatively, one channel (231) could be used tocontrol the color temperature of the luminaire (110), while the otherchannel (233) is used to control the light intensity of the luminaire(110). In this fashion, the luminaire control device (201) has theability to simultaneously control multiple operational states of theluminaire (110). For example, when there is insufficient light, such asdusk, dawn, overnight, or during inclement weather, power is restoredand the luminaire (110) is illuminated.

In an embodiment, the control system (207) may further include a short-or long-range transceiver (225), such as, but not necessarily limitedto, a radio transceiver. The transceiver (225) is preferably adapted toreceive and transmit using a standard-complaint protocol over short- orlong-range distances, such as via a local short-range protocol, a Wi-Fiprotocol, or a long-range wireless data protocol, including but notlimited to a protocol in the IEEE 802.11 family of protocols. Thetransceiver (225) may be used to send to or receive from remote devicesinformation, instructions, or requests relating to control of the device(201) and/or the luminaire(s) (110) to which it is connected.Instructions received at the transceiver (225) may then be processed bya processing system (221) and control signals may be sent to theluminaire(s) (110) based on the data received via the transceiver (225).

By way of example and not limitation, the control system (207) mayinclude a mesh radio transmitter, such as that described in U.S. Prov.Pat. App. No. 62/792,213, filed Jan. 14, 2019, and U.S. Pat. No.10,260,719, issued Apr. 16, 2019, the entire disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference. In this fashion, the device (201)effectively functions as an IOT device capable of being operated usingthe systems and methods described in the foregoing references. Byincluding in the control system (207) a wireless transceiver and programlogic for receiving, processing, and issuing command instructions to theappropriate channel wires, the luminaire (110) may be remotely operatedover a telecommunications network using the device (201). In anembodiment, and as further described in the other applicationsreferenced elsewhere in this disclosure, the control system (207) mayinclude a microprocessor executing program instructions from a memory,which operate communications hardware to exchange data and instructionswith other nearby devices (201). Additionally, or alternatively, thismay be done to communicate over a WAN (503), including but not limitedto a cellular network.

Also by way of example and not limitation, the control system (207) mayinclude other inputs and outputs, including but not limited to ports orconnections for other IoT devices to be controlled by the device (201)via wireless communications as described in the above-referencedapplications and elsewhere herein. Exemplary embodiments of these andother components contemplated for use with the devices described hereinare also described in the above-referenced applications.

As discussed in the background section, one problem with dimmingreceptacle standards is that prior art implementations have usedpulse-width modulation dimming, which results in flicker when using thedimming circuits. To overcome this, in the embodiment depicted in FIG.9, a potentiometer (235) may be included in the control system (207)with at least one of the dimming pin sets (237), operated by amicrocontroller (239). In the depicted embodiment, the microcontroller(239) is an integrated circuit. As seen in FIG. 9, one set of dimmingpins (237) is shown, but the second set (not shown) could also be wiredto a potentiometer (235). In the depicted embodiment, the first dimmingpin DIM- is connected to the microcontroller (239) at pin PW0 (#11) inFIG. 9. This is the control line for the wiper (241) (e.g., a slidingcontact on a resistive strip in the potentiometer that alters the amountof resistance in the circuit). These configurations may be used tocreate, in effect, a digital “control knob” within the apparatus forcontrolling luminaire intensity, with reduced flicker andself-correction in the event of pin misalignment.

FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 depict an embodiment of a power supply (211)showing the connecting elements to the control system (207). In anembodiment, a single header is used to connect elements of the powersupply (211) to the control system (207). This may be done, for example,by connecting a cable (217) from the control system (207) to the header.In an alternative embodiment, the connecting elements may comprise tworows of headers. That is, the “stack” in the device (201) is ordered,from bottom to top: base (203), then power supply (211) on top of thebase (203), and then one or more control systems (207) on top of thepower supply (211).

In an embodiment, the number and arrangement of headers may be selectedto provide mechanical stability for elements disposed above the powersupply (211), including but not necessarily limited to a control system(207). In the depicted embodiments, the rows of headers comprise rows of0.1″ headers, but this is exemplary only and not necessarily limiting.It is specifically contemplated that a single header may suffice in thepreferred embodiment.

In an embodiment, at least one of the headers is a conductivesignal-carrying element. It is contemplated that at least two pins eachof 12 VDC power and a ground line are provided for redundancy to ensurepower flow in the event of a mechanical failure of one set of pins.Thus, in the preferred embodiment, at least four pins are devoted topower transmission from the power supply (211) to a control system(207). However, in other embodiments, there may be more (or less) pinshaving this function.

In an embodiment, at least one header pin provides another function. Byway of example and not limitation, a pin may provide signals pertainingto dimming. That is, a controller on the control system (207) may relaysignals via the pins to the luminaire to which the device (201) isattached to control dimming functions. Additionally, or alternatively,wires for transmitting dimming controls or instructions may by connecteddirectly to pins on the plug and carried directly to the control system(207). Such wires are not necessarily power supply lines but ratherfunction effectively as a bus, and thus may bypass the power supply(211).

In the depicted embodiments, the components on the control system (207)are in turn powered by the adjusted power output at the appropriatevoltages produced on the power supply (211). The device (201) mayfurther include mechanical struts or supports to provide stability andseparation between the power supply (211) and the control system (207).

FIG. 6 depicts an embodiment of the municipal luminaire control device(201) installed on a light head (109) containing a luminaire (110). Ascan be seen in the depicted embodiment of FIG. 6, the luminaire (110) isenclosed within the light head (109), which is attached to a light arm(107). In the depicted embodiment, an enclosure device (321) isinstalled in-line between the arm (107) and light head (109). Themunicipal luminaire control device (201) is plugged into a dimmingreceptacle socket (115) on the dorsal side of the light head (109). Amunicipal power line (111) is disposed within the arm (107) and passesthrough the enclosure (321) to power the luminaire (110). This line(111) is connected (113) to the power supply interface in the dimmingreceptacle (115), as defined by the applicable standard.

When the luminaire control device (201) is attached to the receptacle(115), an electrical connection (243) is formed between the power line(111) and the power supply (211) inside of the device (201). The powersupply (211) receives alternating current from municipal power line(111), converts it to direct current and steps down the voltage to anamount useable by the control system (207). The resulting direct currentis indicated in FIG. 6 as a wired connection (245). The components ofthe depicted control system (207) are then powered by the direct currentreceived (245) from the power supply (211).

In an alternative embodiment, such as that depicted in FIG. 7, theluminaire control device (201) may be used to control two differentluminaires (110) and (117). In the depicted embodiment of FIG. 7, afirst luminaire (110) is contained in the light head (109) in a similarfashion as described with respected to FIG. 6, but a second luminaire(117) is disposed elsewhere on the municipal infrastructure pole (103).In this embodiment, the primary channel (231) (e.g., DIM1) may be usedby the luminaire control device (201) to operate the primary luminaire(110) in the light head (109), while the auxiliary control channel (233)(e.g., DIM2) may be connected to the second luminaire (117) to controlthat luminaire (117) instead. In the depicted embodiment, for example,the first luminaire (110) is a traffic luminaire disposed above a streetto illuminate the surface below for traffic safety, while the secondluminaire (117) is disposed next to the sidewalk to provide illuminationand safety to pedestrians adjacent to the street. In this fashion, theluminaire control device (201) can independently operate both luminaires(110) and (117) in accordance with the operational needs of theimplementation.

In an embodiment, both the DIM1 and DIM2 commands are used to control asingle luminaire (110). By way of example and not limitation, DIM1 maybe used to control a first aspect of the luminaire (110) and DIM2 may beused to control a second aspect of the luminaire (110).

In an embodiment, one or more of the luminaires (110) and (117) may beadapted or designed to respond to specific commands issued via thecontrol channels (231) and (233). The specific nature of this designwill depend upon the needs of the implementation. By way of example, andnot limitation, if the design is intended to provide variance in lightintensity, then the luminaires (110) and (117) may be designed to alterlight intensity in response to commands or voltages received via thechannels (231) and (233). It should be noted that in the depictedembodiment of FIG. 7, the enclosure (321) is omitted for illustrativesimplicity.

In an embodiment, a specialized luminaire (110) may be used, which maybe specifically adapted to accept and respond to commands issued via thedimming receptacle. That is, although the receptacle is intended for adimming function (e.g., by use of a photocell to detect sunlight and dimthe luminaire (110) when there is sufficient ambient light that use ofthe luminaire (110) is unnecessary), the standard defines a mechanicaland electrical interface which can be used to transmit any number oftypes of instructions via the control channels (231) and (233). Forexample, an LED light fixture may be programmed to respond to commandsreceived on DIM1 and/or DIM2 (or just on DIM).

Alternatively, an existing light head (109) may be retrofitted withoutthe necessity of installing a new luminaire (110). For example, thedevice (201) is installed in a dimming receptacle atop a street light(103) to replace a photo control cell. The device (201) may itselfinclude a photocell and receive a signal from that photocell which isalso used to control the luminaire (110), and/or may operate theluminaire (110) in accordance with other criteria depending upon thefunction of the control system (207).

An improvement over prior art devices is that the ballast drivers maynot fully implement “turning off” the luminaire (110). For example, a“1-100” driver is configured to set the light intensity to between 10%of maximum intensity and 100% of maximum intensity. Thus, if a controlsignal received on P1, P2, P3, or P4 indicates a voltage of zero,meaning a command to cut the light entirely, the ballast driver maynevertheless maintain the luminaire (110) at 10% light intensity. Thisin turn means that, in a prior art device in which a photovoltaic cellis installed, even with full sun in broad daylight with a 0 volt commandsignal to the driver, the driver maintains the light on at 10% power,wasting electricity. In one embodiment of the present device, the powersupply (211) and control system (207) may implement command logic whichcuts line power to the driver entirely, thus ensuring that no power iswasted by a 1-100 driver forcing the luminaire (110) to 10% intensityregardless of the analog control signal.

The luminaire control device (201) described herein may be used tocontrol functions beyond dimmable controls. For example, in anembodiment, the luminaire control device (201) may utilize one or bothchannels to provide various instructions and functions to the luminaire(110). The particular functions of each channel may vary from embodimentto embodiment while remaining within the requirements of the applicablestandard. By way of example and not limitation, the signals transmittedover the control lines may alter the color temperature of the light. Inone embodiment, DIM1 may control the 4000 Kelvin temperature range, andDIM2 may control the 6000 Kelvin temperature range. Thus, by increasingDIM1, the color tone of the light becomes more yellow, and by increasingDIM2, the color tone of the light becomes more white. This, incombination with the potentiometer implementation, facilities a smoothgradient of light temperature.

The depicted design has the advantage of being able to receive anyamount of municipal voltage commonly distributed in the United Statesand convert that voltage to a uniform output for use by the controlsystem (207). This allows a single luminaire control device (201) to bemanufactured and stocked for any given implementation, and avoids theneed for the city to manage a stockpile of multiple devices (201)accepting different voltages, and to monitor and track which poles in agiven power grid operate at which voltages. Utility crews may simplypick up a device (201) and install it in any pole, and be confident thatthe voltage will be accepted, converted, and usable without damaging thedevice (201). This design also has the advantage of directly utilizingthe municipal power supply (111) without the need to include batteries,or photocells, or other solutions which cannot provide a consistentamount of power, resulting in the control system (207) being potentiallyunpowered and either malfunctioning, or failing to operate theluminaires (110) correctly. Additionally, by utilizing both controlchannels (231) and (233), multiple aspects of a single luminaire (110)may be controlled by a single device (201), or multiple luminaires (110)may be independently controlled.

Also described herein are systems and methods for providing“localization” of moving objects (e.g., people, vehicles, equipment) byusing beacons installed on municipal fixtures (103), such as light andutility poles. The beacons transmit, in the ordinary course of networkcommunication, an identifier. Because the fixtures (103) do not move,the fixed geographic locations of the fixtures (103) can be associatedin a database with a unique identifier broadcast by the beacon installedon the fixture (103). When a moving device having a wireless transceiverapproaches the fixture (103), it will receive transmissions from thebeacon including the identifier, and can then look up the identifier inthe database to get the geographic coordinates. This can be done evenwithout the moving device's wireless transceiver authenticating orconnected to the beacons' network. This location can then be used for awide variety of applications and purposes.

As shown in the depicted embodiment of FIG. 13, the luminaire controldevice (201) may also be used for a number of other purposes, and mayincorporate other components to facilitate other functions unrelated tothe luminaire control system (207). For example, the control may bedesigned and/or programmed with circuitry and/or computer logic to awide variety of functions in addition to those described in thisdisclosure. As described in other patent applications referencedelsewhere herein, the device (201) may be one of a plurality of devicesin a network of similar devices, some or all of which may be equipped orotherwise connected with one or more sensors on or at a utility pole(103). The data detected by the devices (201) may be collected andshared via a wireless network among such devices (201), including butnot necessarily limited to a mesh network (505). This data may be usedto “localize” where specific incidents or types of incidents have takenplace. This data may be provided to municipal authorities, emergencyresponders, and/or the general public or private parties for use,processing and consumption. The data may be used, for example, in aconsumer/end-user software application.

In an embodiment, a short-range radio transceiver (1011), or “beacon,”would be installed on some, most, or all of the devices (201) in a givendeployment. This may be done by including the beacon (1011) in thecontrol system (207), for example. Such beacons (1011) could be, but arenot necessarily limited to, radio transceivers using a wirelesscommunication protocol in the IEEE 802.11 family of protocols, or someother protocol. Examples of suitable protocols include Bluetooth™, WiFi,Ultra-wideband, ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical) bands, andother radio types. In an embodiment, a beacon (1011) may be enclosedwithin the device (201) or attached in a different location, such as ina photocell or other device using the dorsal receptacle (115), behindthe luminaire (110) in an enclosure, or using a Zhaga Book 18connection.

Such beacons (1011) commonly include a unique, or semi-unique,identifier (1015) which is broadcast with ordinary transmissions as partof the wireless communication protocol. This identifier (1015) helpsother devices within broadcast range identify the source of a givenwireless signal or data packet. A database (1013) could be assembledwhich associates, for each unique identifier (1015), a geographiclocation (1017) where the beacon (1011) having that identifier (1015) isinstalled (e.g., the geographic coordinates (1017) of the light pole(103) into which a luminaire control device (201) containing the beacon(1011) is plugged). This database (1013) could be stored and accessedlocally (e.g., on a mobile device (1003), vehicular telematics system(1004), etc.) or hosted remotely for query/access (e.g., the mobiledevice (1003) or vehicular telematics system (1004) transmits the beaconidentifier (1015) to the remote hosted database (1013), and the database(1013) returns the geographic coordinates (1017) for that beaconidentifier (1015)).

To locate a given device (1003) or (1004), the device (1003) or (1004)receives the identifier (1015) for one or more beacons (1011) and looksup (locally or remotely) the associated geographic coordinates (1017).The location of the device (1003) or (1004) can then be approximated tovarying degrees of precision. Techniques for doing so include receivedsignal strength indicator analysis, angle of arrival using phasedantenna arrays, and other techniques known in the art. The locationinformation calculated can then be used to replace, supplement, oraugment other location technologies.

Any number of applications could be programmed or developed to takeadvantage of this increased accuracy. These include but are notnecessarily limited to vehicular navigation and assistant technologiessuch as lane assist, GPS navigation assistance, routing, autonomousvehicle location and piloting, and traffic flow analysis. Otherexemplary applications include managing small or shared commuter vehiclefleets such as bicycles and e-scooter pools, where the location data maybe used to geofence the range of the fleet to prevent operation outsideof permitted areas. This reduces the need to rely on GPS transmitters,which drain battery life and shorten the operational life of e-scooters.

The technology may be used in smart mobile devices (1003), such as smartwatches, smart phones and tablets, virtual and augmented realityheadsets, smart earbuds, and other portable and wearable technology.This again allows for location technology without requiring a GPStransceiver. This location data may also be used in activity locationtracking technologies, such as exercise applications. This location datamay also be used in augmented reality applications and to assist inautomated or piloted operation of sidewalk delivery robots, drones andthe like.

This localization technology also has application in any situation whereGPS alone is not sufficiently accurate, such as cities or areas withlow-quality or inconsistent GPS coverage, or applications unsuitable forthe operational requirements of a GPS transmitter, such as devices withsmall form factors and/or limited battery life. This localizationtechnology also has application in any situation where geofencing isdesired, such as to prevent operation of devices inside of, or outsideof, a geographically defined area.

The locational information may be particularly useful in municipal areaswith a large number of tall buildings, which can impede or distortwireless signals and even satellite signals. Additionally, the powerdrain of long-range transceivers, such as GPS, can be significant,whereas the power drain of a small localized beacon is relatively small.To save battery life, the location system described herein may be usedto temporarily replace or supplemental other location services, such asbut not necessarily limited to, GPS. This locational system may also beused to provide a secondary or supplemental locational service insituations where limitation in operating system designs inhibit orprevent the use of GPS or other location services.

By way of example and not limitation, the device (201) may comprisecircuitry and/or program logic implementing a message/content deliverymethod suitable for delivering messages or content to nearby pedestrians(1001) or vehicles (1002). In this exemplary embodiment, the mere factthat a mobile device (1003) carried by a pedestrian (1001) or motorist,or a vehicular telematics system (1004) of a vehicle (1002) is able todetect the presence of the beacon (1011) is indicative that thepedestrian (1001) or vehicle (1002) is physically proximate to thebeacon (1011).

The location of the pedestrian (1001) or vehicle (1002) can then bedetermined in real time with precision using any number of techniques.When the mobile device (1003) or telematics system (1004) is closeenough to detect wireless signals from the beacon (1011), whether or notmobile device (1003) or telematics system (1004) actually joins thenetwork, the unique identifier (1015) for nearly beacon(s) (1011) can bereceived and looked up in the database (1013) to find the associatedgeographical location (1017) for the mobile device (1003) or telematicssystem (1004). This location can then be used for messaging or contentdelivery (e.g., via a mobile application (1005) or within the vehiculartelematics system (1004)).

The action taken may vary from embodiment and embodiment and will dependon the particular design and business goals of the implementation. Forexample, the user device (whether a mobile device (1003), telematicssystem (1004), or some other type of user device) may display for theuser (1001) a map of the city highlighting nearby attractions,businesses, or amenities that are open, and/or provide walking ordriving directions as the case may be, or may indicate the location ofnearby rideshare scooters or other small personal vehicles. In anotherembodiment, the location may be used to deliver spot marketing, such ascoupons or promotions for nearby businesses or events. In a stillfurther embodiment, hazard information may be presented, such as weatheralerts, flood warnings, street closures, or reports of emergencies oremergent situations such as recent nearby crime or other dangeroussituations with directions to nearby shelter, an alternate path, orother information.

By way of further example, another device (201) in the network may beequipped with a microphone programmed to detect gunshots or a vehicularaccidents. If one is detected, the devices (201) may further share thatinformation within the network, including the location of the device(201) which detected the incident. That information may then be sharedwith the user device (1003) to provide a location for the incident inquestion and allow the user (1001) to avoid the impacted area or seekshelter.

A number of marketing applications are possible. By way of example, anoutdoor advertising screen (e.g., an LED display) could be attached tothe light pole, and when a mobile device (1003) is detected asapproaching, turned on to display a promotional message, such as adplacement for nearby businesses. Alternatively, if the user (1001) has amobile device (1003) with software (1005) enabled to receive and displaysuch messages, the mobile device (1003) could detect the nearby beacon(1011) and provide the marketing content via an alert the mobile device(1003), including commercial incentives, such as a coupon or discountcode.

The devices and methods described herein may also or alternatively beused in conjunction with vehicular location and traffic managementsystems. In such an embodiment, a vehicle (1002) is equipped with awireless transceiver (1019) which communicates with one or more beacons(1011) in a municipal deployment. These communications may then beanalyzed for various purposes, including but not necessarily limited torouting, location, driver assistance, and autonomous piloting. Thiscould be done, for example, by including a radio transceiver (1019) inthe vehicle and using techniques such as analysis of the signalstrength, and/or change in signal strength as the vehicle (1002) moves,to determine the vehicle's (1002) location, heading, speed, and othercharacteristics. Other technologies may also be used, such as phasedarray antennas (1019).

The analysis could take place at the vehicle (1002), at the beacon(1011), or at a remote location, but is preferably performed at thevehicle (1002). This is because although the vehicle (1002) couldconnect to a private network comprised of the plurality of beacons(1011), this is not necessary. As described elsewhere herein, in theordinary course of operating a wireless network, the beacons (1011) sendout frequent status or presence signals, which the transceivers (1019)can detect. The characteristics of these waves can then be analyzed todetermine positional and/or locomotive characteristics of the vehicle(1002) without authenticating or connected to a network.

Again, because the beacons (1011) are attached to a light pole (105)with a fixed geographic location (1017) that can be known, the vehicle'scomputer (1004) can be loaded with a database (1013) of node identifiers(1015) and geographic locations (1017). By comparing the known location(1017) of a given beacon (1011) (e.g., by looking up a unique identifier(1015) associated with the beacon (1011) in a database (1013)), the merefact that the vehicle (1002) is within range to receive transmissionsfrom a given beacon (1011) can pinpoint a vehicle's (1002) location to arelatively small geographic footprint. Further analysis of signalcharacteristics can then refine that determination to greater accuracy,and potentially further determine characteristics such as speed andheading. By using multiple beacons (1011), accuracy can be furtherimproved.

By way of example and not limitation, suppose a vehicle is travelingdown a municipal street with lights outfitted with the luminaire controlsystems described herein. The vehicle is positioned next to a first nodeN1, has just passed a second node N2, and is approaching a third nodeN3. The signal strength of node N1 will usually be strongest, absentunusual interference, and the signal strength of N2 will be weaker thanthat of N1 and will grow weaker over time as the vehicle moves furtheraway from the light pole containing N2. Conversely, as the vehicleapproaches N3, the signal strength will get stronger. By comparing thesevarious signal strengths, and examining how they change over time, evenover relatively small increments, direction, position, and speed can beestimated or inferred.

Although the exemplary embodiments described herein are in the contextof a control system for operating a luminaire in a municipal setting,the control system, power supply, and other elements described hereinare suitable for use in other applications, in which the control systemmay implement different or additional functions.

While the invention has been disclosed in conjunction with a descriptionof certain embodiments, including those that are currently believed tobe the preferred embodiments, the detailed description is intended to beillustrative and should not be understood to limit the scope of thepresent disclosure. As would be understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art, embodiments other than those described in detail herein areencompassed by the present invention. Modifications and variations ofthe described embodiments may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

1. A method for determining a geographic location of a movable devicecomprising: providing a plurality of municipal infrastructure fixtures,each municipal infrastructure fixture in said plurality of municipalinfrastructure fixtures installed at a fixed geographic location havingassociated geographic coordinates; installing, on each municipalinfrastructure fixture in said plurality of municipal infrastructurefixtures, a wireless transceiver having an associated unique identifier,said wireless transceiver configured for wireless data exchangeaccording to a protocol; for each municipal infrastructure fixture insaid plurality of municipal infrastructure fixtures, associating, in adatabase, said unique identifier of said wireless transceiver installedon said each municipal infrastructure fixture with said geographiccoordinates of said each municipal infrastructure fixture; for eachmunicipal infrastructure fixture in said plurality of municipalinfrastructure fixtures, said wireless transceiver installed on saideach municipal infrastructure fixture wirelessly broadcasting, inaccordance with said protocol, a plurality of transmissions includingsaid unique identifier of said installed wireless transceiver;receiving, at a second wireless transceiver in said movable device, froma first installed wireless transceiver installed on a first municipalinfrastructure pole of said plurality of municipal infrastructure poles,at least one transmission in said plurality of transmissions includingsaid unique identifier of said first installed wireless transceiver;receiving, from said database, said geographic coordinates of said firstmunicipal infrastructure fixture, said received geographic coordinatesdetermined by searching said database for said unique identifiercontained in said received at least one transmission; and at saidmovable device, determining a geographic location of said movable deviceusing said received geographic coordinates.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein said movable device is one of the following: a smart phone, atablet computer, a portable computer, a wearable computer, or a vehicle.3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of said plurality ofmunicipal infrastructure fixtures are street lights having a light headcontaining a luminaire.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least someof said light heads comprise a dimming receptacle and, for said at leastsome of said light heads, said installing comprises installing saidwireless transceiver in a luminaire control device connected to said atleast some light heads via said dimming receptacle.
 5. The method ofclaim 3, wherein an enclosure is disposed between said light arm andsaid light head and said installing comprises installing said wirelesstransceiver in said enclosure.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: selecting a message to communicate to an end user of saidmovable device based at least in part on said determined geographiclocation of said movable device; and displaying to said end user, on adisplay of said movable device, said selected message.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein said selected message comprises an emergencynotification concerning an emergent condition occurringcontemporaneously with said displaying, said emergent conditionaffecting a geographic region proximate to said determined geographiclocation of said movable device.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein saidselected message comprises a marketing notification.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein said marketing notification is about a commercialenterprise physically proximate to said determined geographic locationof said movable device.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein saidmarketing notification is about an event occurring contemporaneouslywith said displaying, said event taking place physically proximate tosaid determined geographic location of said movable device.
 11. Themethod of claim 8, wherein said marketing notification includes anincentive to make a purchase.
 12. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving, at said second wireless transceiver, from asecond installed wireless transceiver installed on a second municipalinfrastructure fixture in said plurality of municipal infrastructurefixtures, at least one transmission in said plurality of transmissionsincluding said unique identifier of said second installed wirelesstransceiver; receiving, from said database, said geographic coordinatesof said second municipal infrastructure fixture, said receivedgeographic coordinates determined by searching said database for saidunique identifier contained in said received at least one transmissionfrom said second installed wireless transceiver; and said movable devicedetermining its geographic location using said received geographiccoordinates for said second municipal infrastructure fixture.
 13. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said database is stored on a non-transitorycomputer-readable memory of said movable device.
 14. The method of claim1, wherein said database is stored on a non-transitory computer-readablememory of a remote server computer and said geographic coordinates arereceived from said database over a telecommunications network by saidsecond wireless transceiver transmitting to said remote server saidreceived unique identifier and said remote server searching saiddatabase for said unique identifier.
 15. The method of claim 1, whereinsaid installed wireless transceivers comprise short-range beacons. 16.The method of claim 15, wherein said movable device determining itsgeographic location using said received geographic coordinates is basedat least in part on said receiving, at said second wireless transceiver,from said first installed wireless transceiver, said at least onetransmission including said unique identifier of said first installedwireless transceiver indicating that, at the time of said receiving,said movable device is physically proximate to said first installedwireless transceiver.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein said movabledevice further comprises a processing system and a non-transitory,computer-readable memory having program instructions stored thereonwhich, when executed by said processing system, cause said movabledevice to run software using said determined geographic location of saidmovable device.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein said softwarecomprises an operating system of said movable device.
 19. The method ofclaim 18, wherein said operating system makes said determined geographiccoordinates available to application software running on said operatingsystem via an application programming interface.
 20. The method of claim17, wherein said software comprises one or more of the following:vehicular navigation, manual vehicular piloting assistance, routeplanning, route tracking, autonomous vehicle piloting assistance,traffic flow analysis, mapping, vehicle location, vehicle movementtracking, geofencing, couponing, a rewards program, marketing messaging,a game, a social network, or emergency notifications.
 21. The method ofclaim 1, wherein said movable device is a small vehicle in a sharedfleet having a geographically defined operational range, and saiddetermined location is used to inhibit operation of said movable devicewhen said determined location is outside of defined operational range.22. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of municipalinfrastructure poles are designed for a purpose other than geographiclocation, and are retrofitted with said installed wireless transceiversfor geographic location.
 23. The method of claim 1, wherein saidplurality of municipal infrastructure fixtures comprises a subset of allmunicipal infrastructure fixtures installed in a geographic region. 24.The method of claim 23, wherein said geographic region is amunicipality.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein said geographic regionis a city block.
 26. The method of claim 23, wherein said geographicregion is a roadway.
 27. The method of claim 23, wherein said geographicregion is a block of a street.